Don't Starve Together has opened the door to another Hallowed Nights celebration. Klei Entertainment launched the 2026 Halloween update on October 26, bringing new seasonal tools, world interactions, costumes and free reward chests to its cooperative survival game. The official Steam announcement went live at 18:00 UTC, making this a fresh update rather than a recap of the October 22 From Beyond content release.
The headline additions are an enchantable Witch's Broom, Pumpkin Bombs and piles of fallen leaves in Deciduous forests. But returning players also have rewards to collect without buying a cosmetic bundle, while collectors can find a new paid Pumpkin Patch Chest. Here's what has actually been announced, what players can do now and the details Klei has not yet specified.
What's new in Hallowed Nights 2026?
Klei's official October 26 announcement lists four gameplay highlights:
- Enchantable Witch's Broom: A new seasonal broom can be enchanted. The studio teases whether its unusual behavior is magic or mad science, without publishing an exhaustive list of enchantments in the announcement.
- Deciduous forest leaf piles: Fallen leaves now accumulate in piles. Sweeping them away may reveal small rewards or surprises, giving players a reason to revisit these autumn-colored biomes.
- Pumpkin Bombs: The explosives return as a discoverable Hallowed Nights item. Klei does not supply complete damage figures or crafting requirements in its initial notes.
- Knockback reactions: Most small creatures now react to being knocked back. That is a gameplay change outside the cosmetic event rewards, although exact creature exceptions and balance effects have not been enumerated.
The result is a relatively compact seasonal update, not a brand-new storyline or a replacement for the game's normal survival systems. Exploration, experimentation and spooky base decoration are the focus.
How do you get the Witch's Broom and Pumpkin Bombs?
The Witch's Broom is the most intriguing new tool because Klei specifically calls it enchantable. That indicates it is more than a visual costume accessory, but the developer's announcement does not spell out a definitive crafting recipe, enchantment table or list of buffs. Players should use the in-game event information rather than trust speculative recipes shared before the patch.
Pumpkin Bombs are explicitly identified as items that can be found during Hallowed Nights. Klei has not said in these notes that every world or player will receive one automatically, nor has it committed to a fixed drop probability. Searching event-related locations and interacting with seasonal features is a reasonable starting point, but guaranteed locations would be an unsupported claim.
The new leaf piles are worth checking even if you are not hunting weapons. They appear in Deciduous forests, and the announcement hints that sweeping them could produce something useful. It's a small addition that encourages players to inspect the environment rather than only visit the costume menu.
Two free Trick or Treat chests: what is inside?
Klei says two free Trick or Treat chests are part of Hallowed Nights 2026. These are separate from the premium Pumpkin Patch Chest:
| Reward | Officially announced contents |
|---|---|
| Free Trick or Treat costume chest | A random Hallowed Nights costume |
| Free Trick or Treat curios chest | Hallowed Nights curios |
| Pumpkin Patch Chest | Four themed building skins, sold separately |
The developer confirms that the two Trick or Treat chests are free but the brief announcement does not lay out every claim button, redemption deadline or eligibility condition. It would be misleading to promise a specific character's costume or say the rewards are delivered through a particular menu without checking inside the game.
For players who missed older Halloween cosmetics, there's another useful detail: Hallowed Nights Collection and Costume Collection items receive increased drop rates for the event's duration. That improves the opportunity to expand a collection, but no exact percentage increase is listed.
What is in the $4.99 Pumpkin Patch Chest?
The Pumpkin Patch Chest is this year's paid cosmetic set. Klei lists its price as $4.99 USD, with a regional reference of 10 RMB. It contains four pieces for players who want their base to look appropriately haunted:
- Haunted Hovel
- Pumpkin Patch Wall
- Pumpkin Patch Gate
- Pumpkin Patch Fence
Those are decorative skins rather than an announcement of a new paid gameplay campaign. The price is a publisher-stated figure, not a promise that every regional storefront will display the exact same conversion or tax-inclusive total.
As with previous Hallowed Nights celebrations, temporary spooky costumes are available to everyone for a limited period. Klei has not supplied a precise 2026 end date in the announcement reviewed here. That matters because players should not assume every free outfit will remain selectable after the event closes.
Watch Klei's official Hallowed Nights announcement video
The announcement includes a video shared by Klei alongside its Steam news item. It is a useful visual reference for the event; the written update remains the primary source for the exact list of changes.
Is the update on PS5, Xbox and Nintendo Switch?
The October 26 post is published through the official Don't Starve Together Steam announcements and the new Steam build was recorded shortly afterward. The same announcement does not establish a simultaneous console rollout time, so players should not infer that PS5, Xbox and Switch received identical builds at the same moment.
Klei's October 22 post separately said the Cursed Confrontation Part 2 story update had launched on Steam, Xbox and PlayStation, while Nintendo Switch would follow after certification. That's an earlier update and should not be confused with confirmation of Hallowed Nights 2026 timing on every platform.
If you play on console, check the relevant platform's current patch version and official Klei channels before expecting every new broom, leaf pile or costume to appear immediately.
How does Hallowed Nights fit into Don't Starve Together's October updates?
It's been a busy week for Don't Starve Together. On October 22, Klei released the conclusion of its From Beyond: Cursed Confrontation story arc. Hallowed Nights follows as a seasonal celebration with a different purpose: spooky items, base decoration, collectible rewards and some small gameplay adjustments.
That distinction also helps with expectations. The October 26 announcement is not a third installment of Cursed Confrontation, a new permanent character, or a paid expansion. It is a live seasonal update, with optional cosmetic spending.
Bottom line: Hallowed Nights 2026 is now the reason to revisit the Constant if you enjoy Halloween events. Try the enchantable Witch's Broom, watch for Pumpkin Bombs, sweep suspicious leaf piles and check out the two free chests before the limited-time rewards disappear. We'll update coverage when Klei confirms further timing or balance details.
Official source: Klei Entertainment's Steam announcements, October 26, 2026. Announcement time and 2026-specific promotional images were independently checked against the publisher's Steam News feed.
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Source date: October 26, 2026